That was the headline a Ukrainian journalist came up with at the conference. They weren't really concerned with the self-propelled rocket launcher itself; they were more interested in whether their ally, Russia, had suffered a huge loss.
And it turned out Russia had "lost" quite a bit...
When Russia suddenly produced yet more evidence, the French and South Koreans naturally refused to accept it. They demanded to send their own teams to verify the claim that their submarine had been bombed.
But the results were completely different from what they expected. It was confirmed that the damage was indeed caused by their French-made Aster anti-aircraft missiles and the main naval guns of the South Korean fleet.
Faced with Russia's blatant setup, even if they knew it was a carefully planned conspiracy, the French and South Koreans had to admit it. The evidence was ironclad, and they couldn't possibly shake off the blame this time.
As for compensation, it wasn't just about paying for the two submarines. Due to the malicious nature of the act, Russia demanded that France and South Korea pay $200 million in damages. This included the price of the two submarines, plus compensation for emotional distress and damage to Russia's reputation. Not a single penny less.
Besides the payment, a public apology was also mandatory.
This naval confrontation was much more bizarre and full of twists and turns than the one Japan caused last year. The online crowd was so captivated that they spent several weeks discussing Russia's "stunning comeback."
"OMG! The Russians are absolutely legendary! Not only did they develop an ultra-long-range self-propelled rocket launcher with 120-kilometer precision guidance, but they also ended up demanding $200 million from France and South Korea! That's just too cool!"
"Amazing, simply amazing! This is way more exciting than our historical dramas about palace intrigue! The best part is that it actually happened. It's just a shame the official details are so limited."
"LOL! This confrontation between Russia, France, and South Korea is practically a modern-day Normandy invasion! They should totally make a movie out of it; it would be a guaranteed blockbuster!"
As the netizens suggested, two major film companies were indeed interested in adapting the story into a script and were actively reaching out to get the rights.
This kind of incredibly impressive maneuver made the movie executives want to know who was behind it all. But to protect the person's safety, the Russian government refused to disclose any further information about the incident. They said a movie could be made, but the scriptwriters would have to use their imaginations.
As a result, a Russian man named Gasosky became the protagonist of the entire film. The story of the ultra-long-range rocket launcher's development, the design, and the incredible reverse-tactic was all credited to this one man, making him a legendary, heroic figure.
This movie, based on a true story, is set to be released worldwide in the second half of next year. It's expected to create another buzz and let audiences relive the shocking maneuvers of the Russian "Gasosky" from 2002.
As for the initial movie script, Mavi, the true "mastermind," naturally got a look at it. He thought many of the details were a bit exaggerated. He certainly hadn't ordered the government to fire rocket launchers at the combined fleet of South Korea and France (though that would have been pretty epic). And there hadn't been so many dissenting voices within Russia, either.
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The emergency UN meeting officially concluded. According to the judgment, South Korea and France paid Russia $120 million and issued a public apology.
Meanwhile, Russia's newly developed ultra-long-range rocket launcher received a lot of attention from other countries.
"Hello, may I speak with Mr. Mavi? This is the Algerian Ministry of Defense. I'd like to know if your country's 650-kilometer ultra-long-range self-propelled rocket launcher is available for pre-order? Our defense minister is very interested in it!" an Algerian Ministry of Defense representative asked Mavi over the phone.
Algeria is an important military power in Africa. It's the largest country by area on the continent and the third-largest economy in the Middle East. It shares a border with Libya and is rich in mineral resources, making it a major arms buyer.
"Yes, you can pre-order them. No problem. About how many does your country need?" Mavi asked, sounding completely at ease.
"And what about the price, Mr. Mavi?" the Algerian representative wanted to know the general cost.
"Each Whirlwind rocket launcher system costs about $15 million. It can fire a variety of warheads, including high-explosive and cluster munitions. However, the rocket warheads have to be purchased separately."
$15 million for a single rocket launcher was quite expensive. Other countries' self-propelled rocket launchers usually sold for around $3 to $5 million.
But you get what you pay for. The Russian Whirlwind rocket launcher clearly had a longer range, higher accuracy, and a much more powerful deterrent effect.
"Fifteen million dollars each... Well, Algeria might need to pre-order around 20 of them." Algeria's military budget was around $300 million, so they could only afford about 20 rocket launcher systems.
"Is that right? All right. But just a friendly heads-up, Morocco said they wanted to pre-order 50 Whirlwind rocket launcher systems a few days ago," Mavi said nonchalantly on the phone.
His "friendly heads-up" was the truth. He said it to the Algerian representative because Morocco and Algeria have a very poor
, having fought a border war over territorial disputes.
The two countries were roughly equal in power, and Morocco wasn't afraid of Algeria. It had even clashed with Spain before. So, when they found out Russia had this ultra-long-range rocket launcher for export, they immediately used their connections to find Mavi.
"Morocco wants 50 launchers? Mr. Mavi, please wait a moment! I'll call you back in half an hour... no, in 20 minutes!" the Algerian Ministry of Defense representative said, his voice suddenly a little anxious.
He was asking Mavi to wait for 20 minutes so he could report the news to his defense minister. While the two countries weren't actively fighting right now, they were always competing, especially in the arms race. Algeria didn't want to lose to Morocco.
"Sounds good. We'll be in touch then," Mavi said. He didn't share Algeria's worries. After all, he was an arms dealer; all he had to do was sell military equipment and collect the money.
Twenty minutes later, the same Algerian representative called Mavi back, sounding urgent. "Hello, Mr. Mavi, sorry for the wait! Regarding your country's Whirlwind self-propelled rocket launcher, Algeria wants to buy 70 of them! That's $850 million!"